BBL|06: All you need to know

Adam Burnett previously wrote for and edited at Inside Cricket magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia and The Telegraph and the Guardian in the UK.

When does it start?

Tuesday night! That's December 20, with the Sydney Smash (Thunder hosting Sixers) from 7.40pm local time. The match is already sold out but there are other ways to enjoy it (see below), including a live broadcast on Network TEN. If you miss that one, there's plenty more opportunities to get amongst it, with a total of 35 matches, culminating in a final on Saturday, January 28.

Who's playing?

Eight teams from around the country take part in the KFC Big Bash – two each from Sydney and Melbourne, and one from Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart and Perth. Outside of a couple of Test players, you'll see the best cricket talent from around the country taking part, as well as a host of internationals such as Kumar Sangakkara, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Andre Russell and Stuart Broad – just to name a few!

BBL stars reveal who they'd pick first

ADELAIDE STRIKERS

The Strikers have made five changes to their squad from last summer, with England paceman Chris Jordan and former Hurricanes batsman Ben Dunk the big additions for this season. Key batsman Alex Ross has left to join the Heat, while Adil Rashid will be with England's squad in India. Left-arm spinner Jon Holland is also injured and expecting to miss the opening stages, with a replacement yet to be named.

The signing of Alex Ross from the Strikers is the biggest of the three new names on the Heat's roster this year, while skipper Brendon McCullum will be available this summer after missing BBL|05 due to international duty. Young Bulls batsmen Sam Heazlett and Marnus Labuschagne are the other new faces, while James Hopes (retired) leads the outs.

The Hurricanes have made five changes from last season, with England paceman Stuart Broad replacing Darren Sammy as the side's second overseas player. Star batsman Dunk (Strikers) and Test quick Joe Mennie (Sixers) are the biggest names to drop out of the squad this summer.

The Renegades have made three changes for this season, luring big-name spinners Brad Hogg and Sunil Narine to Melbourne as well as former Scorchers batsman Marcus Harris. Narine takes the overseas spot left vacant by fellow West Indian Chris Gayle. Star quick James Pattinson has also declared his intent to play a full season.

The Scorchers have made four changes for this season, with former Ashes rivals Mitchell Johnson and Ian Bell headlining the new faces. Bell replaces fellow Englishman Michael Carberry as their second overseas player.

England duo Jason Roy and Sam Billings headline the four new faces at the Sixers for BBL|06, although both players will miss the back-end of the season due to international duty. New Australian citizen Johan Botha is no longer classified as an overseas player, while NSW batsman Dan Hughes and Test quick Joe Mennie also join the club. Ed Cowan and Australia captain Steve Smith – who hasn't played for the Sixers since BBL|03 – headline the big names to drop out.

The defending champions have made four changes to their title-winning roster as they look to fill the sizeable gaps left by Mike Hussey and Jacques Kallis. England skipper Eoin Morgan returns to the Thunder, but he'll miss the back-end of the season due to international duty, while Shane Watson will be unavailable for the early rounds of the competition as he recovers from a calf injury.

There sure is. It's simple, fun and helps you get to know all the players. Sign up for it here.

How do I know who the best players are?

As well as the star imports we mentioned above, there is a ton of talent on show, with many names not all that familiar to plenty of part-time cricket fans. But the absolute best players all seem to work their way into the top 10s of the EXTRA Official BBL Player Rankings.

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cricket Australia.